Donald Trump celebrates win with strange press conference
JUPITER, Fla. -- The media advisory read, "Donald J. Trump for President Press Conference." On GOP frontrunner Donald Trump's campaign website, under "Schedule," it said, "Press Conference in Palm Beach, FL" with the location listed at Mar-a-Lago, Trump's private Palm Beach club.
And Trump took the stage in front of supporters, with reporters exiled to the back primed to yell questions, just as the campaign has set up at three previous election night events. Everything seemed normal - normal for a Trump election night, anyway.
One problem: Trump took the stage, spoke for about twenty minutes, and then left without taking questions, which is typically the point of a press conference.
There was no infomercial-like touting of the Trump brand like last week. There were no "Trump Steaks" off to the side. It was just another odd election night with Trump.
In the speech, in which he cycled through his familiar stump speech themes, Trump was jubilant in victory. He won Florida by a convincing margin, effectively ending Florida Sen. Marco Rubio's campaign, and taking its 99 delegates. He also took North Carolina and Illinois, while losing Ohio to its home state governor, John Kasich.
Trump congratulated Rubio on his campaign, after weeks of derisively referring to his height - frequently calling him "Little Marco."
"I have to say it. That number one, I want to congratulate Marco Rubio on having run a really tough campaign," Trump said. "He's tough. He's smart and he's got a great future. He's got a great future."
Then Trump pivoted to marveling at how the onslaught of negative advertising by various groups did not affect him in the state.
"But I have to say, and nobody has ever, ever in the history of politics received the kind of negative advertising that I have," Trump said. "Record, record, record - by the way, mostly false, I wouldn't say 100 percent. But about 90 percent. Mostly false, vicious, horrible...And you explain it to me because I can't. My numbers went up. I don't understand it."
Of course, no Trump event would be complete without a reference to a property with Trump's name on it. So he stated talking about the World Golf Championships-Cadillac Championship, held recently at Trump National Doral.
"I'm watching. We have television screens all over," Trump said. "We're down at this gorgeous green at Doral, and everything's working beautifully. And then a commercial comes on -- the worst commercial. And I'm with these wonderful people from Cadillac, all these top executives, and I'm saying, 'Look over there! Don't watch it! Isn't the grass beautiful? Look, look! Don't' watch.'"
The crowd applauded. Trump even received applause from some sitting in an area reserved just for press. One man that stood up cheered during Trump's speech, sitting amidst reporters, was seen afterwards wearing a Trump campaign hat.
Trump mentioned someone he rarely talks about on the trail - his nine-year-old son, Barron.
"I want to thank Barron for putting up with the fact that I never see him anymore," Trump said. "And I want to thank Barron -- I never see my Barron. And it's his birthday on Sunday."
This elicited "awws" from the audience.
Trump also shifted into a more general election mood - talking party unity and also telling the crowd that he had spoken to Senate Majority leader Mitch McConnell, in addition to House Speaker Paul Ryan recently.
"Paul Ryan called me the other day. Tremendous call. I spoke with Mitch McConnell today. We had a great conversation," Trump said.
"The fact is, we have to bring our party together. We have to bring it together. We have something happening that actually makes the Republican Party probably the biggest political story anywhere in the world. Everybody is writing about it. All over Europe. All over the world they're talking about it. Millions of people are coming into vote."
He ended his speech promising "great victories for his country." Then he walked off. Reporters tried to get near the exit trying to get him to come back and answer questions.
One reporter yelled that Trump should come back and answer questions since this was billed as a press conference.
Trump was on his way out the door. He didn't stop.